Some thought on the new Q-Com system

No, by padding I mean driving 12 or 13 hours a day and only logging 9 or 10. I know several drivers that do this. I also know of a FM that will tell a driver to do it so a delivery can be made. (happened to me when I was on a trainer truck last year.) You can call this practice anything you want, but come the day USA Truck starts electronic logs it will stop! I honestly suggest to all drivers, start running legal, log it as you drive it.

 

I can't speak for Lawrence, but I doubt he would agree with that statement. I suspect his reply would be "log it as you drive it".

 

I never said I was a proponent of electronic logs, further my miles and money made is not the point. My point is simply they are coming and if you are not driving legal today you will be forced to when they become a reality. This will effect operations as well. That is why I suggest running legal today because once this happens you might have to make a big adjustment in how you drive in a very short period of time, and then you might start to miss appointments you normally made. Just like I missed my last 2 delivery appointments because to make them would require me to run illegal. I have been driving and subject to the FMCSA hours of service for almost 20 years now. I just started driving 18 wheelers last fall. I used to not care much about running illegal and padded the hell out of my logs. TILL someone I know started a 6 year prison sentence in feb. They was involved in a serious accident in 2009 where somebody got maimed for life. It was later discovered through a recreation of his records he was not legal at the time. He hopes to get out sometime next summer. But his driving career is over. None of us can say for a 100% certainty we will never be in a serious accident, and if you are, even if accident is not your fault, you better hope your logs are legal. Trust me, there will be lawyers involved and they will through discovery get your fuel and q-com records. If it is discovered you were not legal you are looking at the very real possibility of jail time and a lifetime disqualification. My license is my livelihood I refuse to take a chance, therefore I run legal, period!

If you are running a legal logbook and logging as you drive it and getting good miles I commend you, because you are in a small minority.